Improvement in hydrants



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MCCLELLAND, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRANTS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,820, dated March 3,1863.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHN MCCLELLAND, of the city and county ofWashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Construct-ion and Mode ot' OperatingSlide-Valves for Fire- Plugs, Hydrants, and for other Purposes; and thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying; drawings, making a part ofthisspecification, in which- Fi gnre l represents a top view, closed valve,with stutting-box and wrench. Fig. 2 shows the under side with the valveopen, the crank or eccentric to operate it.

My inventon consists in the construction of a sliding valve with itsslotted arm operated with the crank or eccentric, through the cap orcover ot' a hydrant or tire plug, in the man' ner hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe it more fully, referring to the drawings and to the let ters ofreference marked thereon.

I make the cap or cover A to be used for re-plugs of metal, ot anyrequired form or dimensions, having one or as many nozzles or spouts, B,to attach hose as may be desired. Under each nozzle B, I place a valve,C, of sufficient size to cover the spout b b, which, projects far enoughbelow the cover A to allow the crank or eccentric D to turn between thecover A and the arm or lever of the valve C, which extends out severalinches from the portion that covers the spout and is pivoted to thecover A by the screw-bolt a. The face ot the sliding-valve C and thespout b b are dressed olf and ground together and make a water tightjoint. On the cover, in the plane with the face of the spout, I have a.rib, d, for the valve to slide on when moved oft the opening E, and alsoa ledge, e e, to keep it up to its place. On one side ot the arm of thevalve c I have a projection, F, through which is an oblong hole, f, intowhich a large pin or hub, '1, works, the same being attached to thecrank D on the under side of the cover A and made to turn aboutone-third round on a shaft, H, which comes up through the cover and ismade water-tight by an ordinary stuffing-box, K. The pin or hub I formsthe stop to hold the valve in the proper position both on or oi' theopening. By the key or wrench G applied to the square h on the upper endof the shaft H the valve is easily opened or closed, no matter how greatthe pressure may be upon it from the inside of the hydrant.

The great advantages of my invention, as will readily be seen, are thesimplicity of its construction, no liability to get out of order, becomeloose and leaky, the valve being in such a position that the pressure ofwater or steam will always hold it irmly to its seat, 'and the eccentricwhich moves the valve being applied to act so direct and positive thatit will always operate with certainty with a slight power applied to theshaft.

Another advantage my invention has over others known and used is that ina four or more plug hydrant each conduit has its independent valve tolet on and shut oitl the water, so that there is no time lost or wastein coupling hose while others from the same iiow are being used.

My invention may be constructed to any sized scale, andwill be equallyeffective, may be placed in the water mains, to shut ott' or regulatethe flow and pressure in the branch pipes, and can be operated instantlyin any place where it is applied.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by The sliding valve C, withits slotted arm F, and the crank or eccentric D, with the cap or coverof a hydrant or lire-plug, in the manner herein described, for thepurposes set forth.

JOHN MCULELLAND.

Attest: t

J oHN S. HoLLINGsHEAAD. J AMES TOWLES.

